Catching Up

Happy holidays to all! Let's catch up. First, the covers:

Issue dated December 28, 2015


Issue dated January 4, 2016


Nothing too exciting on either of these covers. Based on a promo I saw on Good Morning, America, the new cover this week should be the annual weight loss issue, almost certain to look very much like last year's issue:

Issue dated January 5, 2015


Will this issue also feature a sidebar story about 2016 Bachelor Ben Higgins? Almost certainly. Will there be a blurb about Bristol Palin's new baby? Possibly. She scored a sidebar story when her pregnancy was announced; now that she's given birth, and ex-fiancé Dakota Meyer ended the suspense and claimed paternity, People may figure it's time for an update. The story's getting some pretty wide coverage, including Gulf News ("Bristol Palin gives birth to daughter,") Arab News ("Bristol Palin gives birth to 2nd out-of-wedlock child") and the South China Morning Post ("Unmarried daughter of Sarah Palin gives birth to second child.")

We're also getting ever closer to the first actual votes in the presidential election. The Iowa caucuses are February 1, following by the New Hampshire primary on February 9, with a debate on January 28 to get everyone in the mood. The field has also shrunk a little, with Senator Lindsey Graham's withdrawal on December 21. That leaves us with 13 declared candidates, possibly as few as six of whom will be featured in the primetime debate on Jan. 28. (Selection will be based on a complicated mashup of polls.) Rand Paul is in a bit of a snit about that, saying that if he's not allowed in the main debate, he won't show his face in the so-called kiddie debate. Stay tuned, things are only going to get more interesting as we move into the actual election year of 2016!

Declared (and still in the race) GOP Candidates, in order of their official announcement

1. Ted Cruz (March 23) 
2. Rand Paul (April 7)
3. Marco Rubio (April 14)
4. Dr. Ben Carson (May 3) 
5. Carly Fiorina (May 4) 
6. Mike Huckabee (May 5) 
7. Rick Santorum (May 27)
8. George Pataki (May 28)
9. Jeb Bush (June 15)
10. Donald Trump (June 16) 
11. Chris Christie (June 30)
12. John Kasich (July 21) 
13. Jim Gilmore (July 30) 

Officially Not Running
Rob Portman (Dec 2)
Paul Ryan (Jan 12)
Mitt Romney (Jan 30)
Rick Snyder (May 7)
John Bolton (May 14) 

Mike Pence (May 20) 

Bob Ehrlich (August 4)

You're Fired!: Candidates Who Have Dropped Out
Rick Perry (June 4 - Sept. 11)
Scott Walker (July 13 - Sept. 21)
Bobby Jindal (June 24-November 17)
Lindsey Graham (June 1-December 21)

Days until Election Day: 316